DISASTER RECOVERY PROTECT YOUR VITAL AND IMPORTANT RECORDS!
Vital and important records are at the heart of an organization. Because these records are often necessary for the continued life of a business, they should be safeguarded against any potential disaster.
Disasters come in all forms and degrees of severity and being able to recover documents quickly and effectively can be the difference between having a temporary setback and a complete shutdown. To avoid a disabling circumstance, organizations need to establish and maintain a disaster recovery plan. There are three key elements in safeguarding vital and important records in a recovery plan: 1) identify them, 2) duplicate them, and 3) properly store them.
1. Identify
While there are many types of records created and used within an organization, the two types - vital and important records - should be protected in case of a disaster.
A vital record is defined as one that contains information that is essential to the continued life of the organization. Although vital records may take many forms, i.e. paper, micrographic, digital, etc., the information contained is identified as crucial to reestablish or recreate the organization's legal and financial position in the event of a disaster. Additionally, vital records preserve the rights of the company, em-ployees, customers and stockholders. Examples of vital records include titles, deeds, trademarks, leases, articles of incorporation and stockholder lists.
An important record is defined as one that contains information fundamental to the continued life of the business. While important records can be re-placed or reproduced, it can only be done at a considerable cost in time and money; therefore, they should also be included in a disaster/recovery plan. Examples of important records are client files, contracts and invoices.
2. Duplicate
After identifying your organization's vital and important records, the next step is to duplicate them. How you duplicate records depends on your organization's size, the types of records, formats in place, and the number of vital and important records you have identified.
3. Store
After duplicating, the final step in protecting your vital and important records is to properly store them. Duplicates of both vital and important records should always be stored off-site. Depending on the type of disaster, you could be denied access to your location for a period of time; therefore, duplicates should never be stored in the same location as the originals.
Original vital records should be stored safely onsite, preferably in a lockable cabinet, storage unit or fire-safe room. Original important records should also be stored onsite, though depending on the record itself, it may have a need for more active use and need to be stored in a more active storage area.
We hope your organization never faces a disaster, but if it does, having taken the time to properly safeguard your records will prove to be time and money well spent.
SYSTEC Solutions: Disaster Recovery
Many organizations realize the importance of implementing disaster recovery plans, but can't take the time away from regular business operations to implement it. When it comes to protecting your vital and important records, SYSTEC can assist you every step of the way.
Our professional business services representatives will work with you to determine the best method of identifying, duplicating and storing your organization's vital and important records. After developing the plan, SYSTEC can manage the entire project from start to finish while you continue to focus on your core business.